1. Language and Identity Marlene Jimenez English 106 Professor Taylor March 5, 2015

2. Meaning of Language and Identity Language is what you use every day. It is taught daily in different parts of the world. The most fascinating thing about language is you are able to learn any language you would like. If you were raised to speak Korean you can still be taught to speak English. Though being fluent in all types of languages is the hard part. Once you have learned another language it becomes part of you, but your color of skin, hair and gender stays the same As for Identity, Identity is who you are. Where you are from? When is your birthday? Your own finger prints. Each of us have our own culture and ethnicity, and with that comes our personality, and habits. Our identity is based on who we are. In my essay I am going to show you how language plays only part of your identity.

3. My Experience I consider myself bilingual. Not only do I speak English but I also speak Spanish. I can’t say I’m fluent in Spanish only because to some people such as Spanish majors consider my Spanish “slang”. If you were to look at my birth certificate and it shows that I am Latina you will see that it is my identity. But because I am identified as a Mexican it doesn’t mean the language that I speak is Spanish. For instance, I attended this summer program here at Cal State San Bernardino, and my mom decided to drop me off since I had to stay the whole week on campus. As my mom and I walk in the room the women opens the door and there's a student in front of me with his family and the women says, “Hi Good Afternoon, How are you guys?”. When she sees my mom she looks at us and says, “Hola, Buenos Dias, Como Estan?” She can see that our identity is Mexican, but as I said before it doesn’t mean the language that I speak is Spanish.

4. Reading 1 JAMES BALDWIN: “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?”. Baldwin went in depth with language. Such as different languages are spoken, and sometimes is it based on where you are. “It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument, means, and proofs of power.” You can do a lot with the language that you speak. I chose this reading because he explains when to speak a certain language. And then he goes about how the sound from some people when they speak a certain language. He mentions Identity, “It is most vivid and crucial key to identity: It reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.” In other words, a lot of successful people give the advice of learning a different language. Why? Because you are able to earn more money through out your career. It is true what he says, “Language is power”. If you walk in a meeting where you have to meet one of the highest buyers in the country and you want them to buy your product. It just so happens you speak English and this corporate takes place in China. Are you going to just take a translator or speak there language and make a better impression? Well if you are smart you’ll learn a bit of Chinese. But that doesn’t change your first language. It isn’t going to change you social security or anything it is just a matter of learning something new.

5. Reading 2 GRACE HSIANG:”FOB”vs. “Twinkies”: The Discrimination Is Intraracial The language that you speak can also be based on where you should be in life. For instance, Hsiang uses her experience in class where she was listening to a student talk about Asian American how they were separated. Which was based on speaking the native language over English. Which quickly comes to mind if speaking your native language is part of your identity, but the “cool” kids say to speak English do they possibly think that the Asian part of their identity is going to change? “Many of us very much want to belong to our community, but we cannot completely embody one culture when we are living in another.” You can speak English all you want, any language at that matter but it isn’t going to change your culture. Your culture is part of your identity. It is part of where you come from if not a huge part when it comes to your grand parents and parents. Your Identity in other words remains the same.

6. Reading 3 Sound and Fury: Documentary The documentary is based on this implant for those people who are deaf. Doctors recommend the implant to be inserted at a very young age because then the odds of the child hearing is very high. One of the challenges that had to be a faced was a woman who had twin boys and only one of them were deaf, she decided that the implant was the best thing and it was a opportunity for her son to have a normal life. Because growing up with deaf parents she knew how hard it was for her and so she took it upon herself to do what was best for the sake of her child. When sharing the news with her parents her mother was very upset because she was arguing that by giving the surgery she is changing who he is. She wants to change his identity. "I'm embarrassed…a mother should love her child the way he is” When that wasn’t it at all. The sign language is something that is taught for those who can’t hear, but he was born a boy, he was born with ten fingers, and toes nothing was going to change. The only thing that was going to change was his way of communicating. Any language that is taught is just a different way of communicating. If I learn how to speak French is doesn’t change the fact that I am Mexican.

7. Conclusion I have shared three different stories that support my statement, language only takes part of your identity. Or in other words, the language you speaks takes part of your identity. You can always change the language that you speak.

8. Six-Word Memoir My Emotions are expressed on paper